


Desperately Seeking Sousuke

by Asuka02RedEva



Category: Free!
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Boys Will Be Boys, Bromance to Romance, Eventual Matsuoka Rin/Yamazaki Sousuke, Fluff and Humor, Friendship/Love, M/M, Matsuoka Rin Swears, Minor Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto, Momo being Momo, Nagisa is a Little Shit, Romantic Friendship, Slow Burn, Swimming Boys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-05-03 03:10:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14559552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asuka02RedEva/pseuds/Asuka02RedEva
Summary: Matsuoka Rin determines the following in the course of a year -Winning "battles" against Sousuke: No Problem.  Rooming with Sousuke: Still not a Problem.  Their changing relationship: PROBLEM!Set as a series of one shots...Act 6: Are You My Sunshine?Act 5: As We Grow and ChangeAct 4: The Space Between UsAct 3: Spring Break: Alpaca My Bags!Act 2: Out in the ColdAct 1: Camping a Blast, MY ASS!The moment Rin heard the zipper of the tent open, he should have expected the worse..."Don't be stingy, Rin-senpai," cried Momo with a grin as his face appeared in the door of their tent."Stingy," Rin scoffed, "What the hell are you talking about?""It's freezing out here," began Momo with a pout, "And you've got Sousuke-senpai to keep you warm!"Sousuke looked up from the spot on his sleeping bag, arm propped behind his head and placid expression, "I guess it can't be helped..."Rin watched in horror as Ai and Momo piled into their tent with pillows, blankets and a capybara plushie, before snuggling in next to Sousuke.He's left thinking, 'Like hell it couldn't!'





	1. Camping a Blast, My ASS!

Author’s Notes:  After watching “ _Take Your Marks_ ”, I decided that I needed a little more Sou-chan in my life, and I thought I would share, in a series of small one-shots.  I do hope you get a laugh as this is my first venture into writing for this fandom.

NNN

Samezuka Academy Swim Club had taken a page out of the Iwatobi manual and devised a camping trip as the perfect team building experience.  The weather was supposed to be nice that weekend and all parties had been interested in the adventure.

“Momo-kun…” Nitori’s tone was uneasy, as he held up the poles for their tent and watched as his younger teammate pulled the fabric at odd angles.  “…This looks all wrong…”

“Don’t you worry, Nitori-senpai!  I’ve got this!” 

Yet Momotarou’s exuberance was hardly reassuring…

NNN

Meanwhile, Sousuke was busy hammering tent stakes into the ground of his and Rin’s temporary home away from home. 

“Sousuke?”

The brunette looked up to find his childhood friend holding a bottle of water toward him with a grin.

“Aa.  Thanks.” 

He stood, unscrewing the cap of the bottle before taking a swig and looked out toward the ocean.  There was a light breeze in the air, as they stood together in tank tops and track pants. 

“It’s just like old times, right?”

Rin’s question takes him back to simpler days, but the protests coming from a few sites down, easily brings him back to the present.

“Aa,” the taller teen spares a glance toward the tent falling inward on their younger teammates and scowls, “but I remember it being a lot quieter back then.”

“Honestly,” the red head states with a sigh, shoulders slumping, “And here I thought I’d only have to worry about _you_ getting lost on this trip.”

When he turned, Rin found the spot next to him empty and blinked, finding Sousuke good-naturedly making his way toward the two with hammer in hand.

NNN

Momo felt the weight of the tent be lifted from him and looked upward at their savior. 

“Yamazaki-senpai,” he announced with excitement, popping up like a _Jack in the Box_ with a grin, “Did you come to help us?!”

Nitori looked thankful, slowly crawling on his hands and knees away from the makeshift prison with a sigh.  It was going to be a long weekend.

“I told you to call me Sousuke,” was his flat response, motioning for Momo to move out of the way.

“Roger that, Sousuke-senpai!”

In a matter of minutes their tent was propped and stakes being hammered in, courtesy of one, Yamazaki Sousuke.    

Rin looked on with a small smile.  Some things never changed…

NNN

Even though Sousuke couldn’t compete competitively, he was still an active member of their team and his opinions valued by the younger classmen.  In fact, despite his tall stature and stoic nature, the teen was relatively popular at their high school.

“Yamazaki-senpai, what do you think of my stroke?”

“No fair, I asked him first!”

“It’s obvious that Sousuke-senpai was too busy watching my backstroke!”

“Momo…” came multiple groans.

Rin ran a towel through his hair, watching as several of the members flocked to his friend’s side.  He even noticed the upward curl of the brunette’s lips as he nodded. 

“Yamazaki-senpai is really popular,” Nitori comments with a smile, toweling the water from his arms, “No wonder you like him so much.”

Rin’s eyes softened, he did like Sousuke…but as he had once stated, it was kind of hard to hate your alter-ego.  Being on the same team now, it wasn’t difficult like it had been in the past.  Perhaps it was just the idea that the brunette’s dream had supposedly ended that bothered Rin the most…seriously, there had to be a way for Sousuke to swim again, right?   

NNN

After a few burned attempts of cooking over an open flame, Sousuke took over much to the relief of all members. 

“Where did you learn to cook like that,” Nitori chimed in with a sincere smile.

The brunette pursued his lips, squatting before the fire and poking the embers with a stick, “I spent a lot of time alone as a kid.”

Nitori’s eyes watered and he was about apologize for hitting upon something so personal when Momo’s hands appeared on his shoulders, pushing him downward and announcing,

“Sousuke-senpaiiiiiiiiiiii!” came an earth shattering plea, “I’m so hungry!”

Rin rolled his eyes, as he currently occupied a log.  Things had been more peaceful before Momotarou and perhaps a little less dramatic. 

Everyone sighed in relief as Sousuke threw Momo a snack and he loudly expressed his content while chewing.    

 NNN

They sat around the bonfire, as the flames created eerie shadows against their features.  Momo was currently taking his hand at ghost stories, but some members of the audience (ie: Sousuke’s yawn and Rin’s look of disbelief) indicated this might not be his forte. Yet Nitori’s shrill cry when Momo got to the climax of the tale with an added _BANG_ made all of the members laugh at his expense.

Nitori sat with reddened cheeks, his hand over his heart as he tried to catch his breath.  Rin ruffled his hair before standing.

“I say we douse the fire and call it a night,” their captain informed, watching his team respond.

NNN

They walked back from the bathroom together with flashlights in hand.  It had been an exceptionally warm May day; however, once the sun set it didn’t take long for the chill of the night to form around them. 

Sousuke paused, taking a moment to look upward at the star filled night sky, the hood of his sweatshirt up to block out the wind. 

Rin smirked, “Didn’t think you were one to take in the finer things in life?”

The brunette grinned, “Yeah, well, being in Tokyo for so long you miss out on these things.”

“I still don’t know how you managed in a city,” came Rin’s taunt, with the accompanying jab of his elbow at his companion’s side, “you can’t even go to the bathroom without getting lost.”

Sousuke opened his mouth to protest but then closed it once more…this was probably true…

NNN

The moment Rin heard the zipper of the tent open, he should have expected the worse...

The appointed captain sat up, putting his phone down and ready to assume the potential duties of nursemaid or emergency responder, “Why aren’t you two in bed?”

Momo’s face was illuminated by the light of his flashlight, shining brightly as he flashed his pearly white teeth.  Nitori on the other end, shielded his eyes as the beam shot erratically as Momo spoke, chiding the younger boy,

“Momo-kun, I told you we shouldn’t be out here.”

"Don't be stingy, _Rin-senpai_ ," cried Momo with a pout, sounding like a petulant child, his face taking up much of the view in the open door of their tent.

"Stingy," Rin scoffed, sitting cross legged, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's freezing out here," began Momo with a pout, "And you've got Sousuke-senpai to keep you warm!"

Rin blinked not once, but twice, and his mouth opened then closed in confusion.  “Huh?”

“Oh Momo-kun…I told you to pack warmer clothes…” Nitori gave a sigh and shot both of their older teammates an apologetic look.

“Sousuke-senpai is so big and warm…” Momo continued, his pout growing as he looked toward Rin, (nope he wasn’t going to budge), then fixed his puppy dog eyes on Sousuke.

Sousuke looked up from the spot on his sleeping bag, arm propped behind his head and placid expression, "I guess it can't be helped..."

“Wait? What?” Rin managed to sputter, as he heard the excited gasp from both boys.

Rin watched in horror as Ai and Momo piled into their tent with pillows, blankets and a capybara plushie, before snuggling in next to Sousuke. 

“See, Nitori-senpai?!  Sousuke-senpai is warm!”

Nitori made a little chirp and nodded, while Rin slowly zipped the tent back up. 

“I don’t believe this shit…” he mumbled under his breath.

There was Sousuke laying on his back in between Ai and Momo. 

“Sousuke-senpai look at my capybara plushie!  Isn’t it the cutest?!”

Rin’s face deadpanned, watching as Momo made the plushie walk on Sousuke’s chest.  Sousuke’s face held a stoic expression, eyes half lidded watching the movements of said plushie—probably felt it was better than a stag beetle. Their captain’s gaze shifted to Ai’s beat red face as he placed his pillow next to Sousuke’s and pulled up the blanket.

“Th-thank you, Yamazaki-senpai!”

Sousuke’s gaze lazily fell upon Rin, yet those teal eyes seemed to hold some mirth, “There’s room for you too, Rin.”

“Of course!  There’s lot of room, Matsuoka-senpai!”

“You can sleep ne-next to me if you want.”

Rin turned his face quickly away from the trio and grumbled, “Like hell I will…”

NNN

Rin awoke with a growl from some unknown impact.  Upon further observation he determined the culprit to be a foot…not just _any_ foot but Momo’s foot! 

_Damn it!_

Now as the fog was beginning to lift from his brain, Rin remembered he was stuck sharing a tent with Ai, Momo and Sousuke.  He knew he shouldn’t have brought the four man tent—it had invited trouble!   

The wind could be heard as it rustled the fabric of the tent, almost drowning out the crashing of the ocean’s waves.  He paused, instead of lying back down, and saw that Momo had rolled out of the protection of the blanket fortress and there seemed to be a gap in between him and Sousuke.

Rin rubbed the back of his neck and quietly chuckled, no way was he going to…

NNN

He’d just _try_ it. 

Only once, just to see what the big deal was…

Wow.  Sousuke _was_ warm.  Like _really_ warm compared to the sleeping bag Rin had brought.

His eyes narrowed sparing a cautious glance over the brunette’s broad chest, making sure that Ai was still asleep.  Then just as suspiciously he turned his head, his gaze resting on a snoring Momo, before lying back down. 

Yeah…this wasn’t so bad…

He’d almost fallen asleep when seemingly out of nowhere a voice rang out,

“Alpacas, capybaras and stag beetles!  I can’t believe you want to give them all to me!”

Rin’s eye twitched as Momo’s laugh filled the tent, but that’s not all that caught his attention.

“Oh…” came a quiet voice making Rin’s body stiffen.

 “So you did get cold, Rin?”

There was amusement laced in that lazy drawl and it did not go unnoticed.  Rin hesitantly opened an eye and found an awaiting smirk on the face of his childhood best friend.  There seemed to be a special glint in those teal eyes too.

“Tch,” he managed, trying to shield his embarrassment, “Shut the hell up…”

“Oh…Momo-kun…” tiredly mumbled Nitori, in response to Momo’s continued ramblings about odd animals, smacking his lips in the process, “…No more….stag beetles…”

Both Sousuke and Rin chuckled as Nitori’s head slumped forward onto his pillow.  Sousuke took two fingers and shifted the teen’s face away from the pillow—no sense in risking asphyxiation on this little outing.

The taller teen reached down and pulled up the blanket around them much to Rin’s dismay.

“Wait! What are you doing,” was his accusatory hiss.

Sousuke paused and arched an eyebrow, “You’re staying aren’t you?”

Rin closed his eyes, he could feel his cheeks warming, “…Aa…”

He felt the warmth of the fabric fall upon his shoulders and the added warmth of Sousuke next to him.  Before he could think any further his eyes shot open.

Momo sat straight up, drawing their attentions, as he proclaimed, “I shall ride my alpaca to victory!”

“…Does _he_ have to stay?” Rin covered his head with the pillow.

Sousuke continued to watch as the younger boy pointed his index finger upward and laughed, and to think he would have missed all this, had he stayed in Tokyo.

Rin just groaned.

NNN

Please leave a comment if you enjoyed or if you have an idea for a future scene.  Thank you so much!

 

 

 


	2. Out in the Cold

Author’s Notes:  Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review my first dive into this fandom…onward to the second part.

NNN

Well Sousuke wasn’t too sure how this had happened...not sure at all…definitely not how he intended his Friday night to go.  The teen currently stood in the darkened hallway, outside of his and Rin’s locked room door.  What a predicament this was, thought the brunette, while he lazily considered his options.  They were quite poor—no bed, no dorm room key in hand, not even a damn pillow.  Sousuke realized he was probably screwed. 

The teal eyed teen slowly made his way down the hallway with a hand in the pocket of his sweatpants wondering how Rin’s poor mood had spilled into a fight.  He wore a blue tank top with an unzipped gray sweatshirt, black sweats and a pair of sneakers he had managed to secure before being given the boot.

_Thanks a lot, Rin…_

What the hell time was it anyways?  He gave a friendly tilt of his head toward the security guard sitting in the campus office as he walked by and received a wave in response as the guard looked up from his paper. 

Perhaps someone had said something to upset the red head? His logical mind began to ponder these thoughts, while his back occupied a spot along the wall next to the vending machine. He popped open the coke in hand after finding some loose change in his pocket and with a sigh took a swig…

Perhaps something in general had merely pissed Rin off?  Maybe, Rin stomping into the room had been an indicator of the situation?  Yet what did Sousuke care from the safety of the top bunk?  Besides, he had come from physical therapy and was content with his back against the mattress.

Then Rin’s head became stuck in his hooded sweatshirt after angrily trying to rid himself of the offensive object, and Sousuke couldn’t stop the laugh that weaseled its way out of his mouth.  The snort had only led to Rin’s further irritation as a string of curses erupted as a result. 

In the teen’s defense, it had been rather amusing—the swearing, the flailing and then the impact of the innocent balled up article of clothing as it hit the wall with a thud. 

_“You know, if swimming doesn’t pan out, you’ve probably got a future as a pitcher with that arm.”_

_“Get the hell out, you idiot!”_

_“Are you serious?”_

_“Get down here and face me!”_

Oh that’s right…a rock, paper, scissors match to determine if he would be forced to leave.  Why hadn’t he just refused?  The teen could have just stayed an unmoving lump in the top bunk instead of allowing for Rin to grab hold of his arm and egg him on.  He’d never been able to refuse Rin of anything…even if it was fueled by stupidity. 

Well, those matches never really worked out for Sousuke in the past.  He had watched, _rock crush scissors_ —albeit a little _too_ eagerly—before being escorted to the door and receiving a shove.  Sousuke supposed he shouldn’t have too been surprised. 

NNN

Rin occupied the bottom bunk of his twin bed and angrily stared at the unpleasant light produced by his phone in the dimly lit room.  His back rested against the mattress, thumb hovering above the screen of the phone, having ceased scrolling through the timeline of his social media.

_Stupid, Sousuke…_

The teen tossed his phone down and pursued his lips in frustration.  Why was he so annoyed with his roommate anyways?  It wasn’t even _Sousuke_ who had pissed him off.  The crimson eyed teen released the breath he had been holding with an accompanying growl, now staring at the bottom of the unoccupied bunk above his head. 

It had been some third year at today’s prelim warmups that had caught his attention.  They’d been stretching near the side of the pool when Rin had overheard a scrawny blond with shit brown eyes calling Sousuke _a washed up has been_.

Rin had opted to swim butterfly for the team and upon finding the bastard who had insulted his best friend, in the next lane, decided to make him pay.  He irritably raked his fingers through his hair at the memory…

_How could I lose to that shithead?!_

Sousuke wouldn’t have lost…

Sousuke would have kicked that blond bastard’s ass…

Sou would have—

He most definitely was not crying…

The damp feeling of Rin’s pillowcase sticking to his cheek as he rolled over onto his side and stared at the now blurring closed door of their room was not due to hot tears, and the sickening feeling in his gut wasn’t from guilt. 

Only it was—the guilt of knowing that Sousuke wasn’t at today’s race because of an appointment with his physical therapist.  That regardless of the outcome, Sou had smiled in acceptance of his shoulder, that his dream had already come true.

_“I want to truly become your friend!”_

_“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?!”_

_“Because I knew you would cry…”_

_“I’m not crying, you idiot…”_

Rin could still see that heartbreaking look in Sousuke’s eyes as he regarded him that day.  Even as the teen gripped a fistful of his friend’s collar, his vision blurred…and how had Rin repaid him? 

_I’m a shit friend…_

NNN

Well, the couch in the student lounge wasn’t the most comfortable thing Sousuke had ever tried to sleep on…

His feet awkwardly hung past the arm of the couch, his shoulder felt bunched up and was aching from therapy, and in his best interest, Sousuke had opted not to use the square orange pillow with its many questionable stains.  Without his key card it wasn’t like he could leave the grounds and later return so this would have to suffice.

No sooner had the teen closed his eyes, did his brows furrow at the sound of footsteps…but it wasn’t just the footsteps, it was the familiar voice with its inability to whisper that caused for one eyelid to lift.

NNN

_Shit._

Rin had started a text message, quickly backspaced the sentence, opted to try once more and then with a growl had settled on,

**_You can come back before you get busted for curfew…_ **

Crimson eyes watched the screen of his phone, waiting for an instant reply, but nothing came.

NNN

“Sousuke-senpai!?” Momo half whispered-half yelled, as he banged his head on the nearby table, ceasing his actions in the process.

Sousuke spared a glance at the digital clock in the dimly lit lounge and frowned at the neon yellow lights displaying 11:02pm.  He was going to regret asking why Momo was currently crawling on his hands and knees under the student lounge table at this hour.

NNN

**_Sousuke…don’t be an ass.  I said you could come back…_ **

The blinking cursor stared back at Rin as if in challenge. 

_Where the hell is he?_

NNN

Yup…he regretted his decision almost immediately.   Momo had quickly crawled over to the couch, apparently keen on the idea of someone there to listen to his tale. 

The younger boy currently held onto the side of the couch cushion, his hands trembling and troubled eyes boring into the brunette’s.

“I took my Pyunsuke for a walk before bed time and now I can’t find him!”

 Oh God, it was going to be a long night…

NNN

**_Sousuke?_ **

Angry tapping…

**_I’m getting pissed…_ **

Rin currently sat cross legged in his tank top and sweats, hunched over the phone in his hand. 

A few minutes passed…

**_Okay…I’m not angry at you.  Just respond, alright?_ **

The teen raked his fingers through his hair in frustration.  A sudden thought entered his mind and his eyes widened in alarm. 

Had Sousuke left campus?  _No_ …he wouldn’t do that, _right_?

Rin’s breath hitched—was Sousuke lost and currently wandering the streets of the city?! 

How long had he been gone?  The red head leaned closer to the phone to view the time…over an hour...

With those legs of his—Rin held his chin in hand and then gasped—how many miles could he be away by now?!

He dramatically held his head in his hands and groaned trying to rid his mind of his roommate, lost on the streets, occupying a park bench for the night.

NNN

Sousuke held out his arm, pushing his co-conspirator’s back against the hallway’s white wall.  Teel eyes narrowed, leaning forward and cautiously peering down the hallway.

“It’s clear,” whispered the older teen.

Momo’s mouth opened, and he managed,

“Sousuke-senpai is so coo—

The upper classman quickly shushed Momo, placing a hand over his mouth.  Did Momo seriously want to get caught or was he just incapable of stealth mode?

Campus rules were pretty strict; unless you were going to the bathroom, you were to abide by curfew, and if you got caught…

Sousuke wasn’t sure how compatible his shoulder and scrubbing toilets were…but he had an inkling that he was better off not finding out…

Besides, if they got caught, he was going to give Momo one hell of a swirly.

NNN

Rin was currently pacing back and forth in the small area of their shared room.  He had recently stood up and discovered Sousuke’s cellphone and key card on the empty top bunk and had mentally cursed himself!  The teen had sent his best friend out… _into a cruel and unforgiving world_ …with what?  A hoodie and sweats?! 

The red head paced even faster—what was the current temperature?!  Had Sousuke even eaten?!  Was he currently freezing on a park bench?! 

NNN

_Is he trying to be some sort of ninja?_

Sousuke merely blinked, his mouth opening a little in awe, fixing his attention on the younger boy. He watched Momo curl into a ball and quickly roll to the other side of the corridor’s entryway as a campus guard turned down the adjoining hallway.

The older teen deadpanned as Momo gestured for him to _assume the position_ and follow in his footste—er—rolling? 

The middle aged guard with black hair paused and suddenly turned with a candy bar hanging from his mouth, blue eyes just missing sight of Sousuke’s figure.

Not to worry, the brunette hadn’t been caught mirroring a ball.   

Sousuke’s breath hitched as he heard a loud, _hmmm_ coming from the guard…

Oh shit, where they busted?  He didn’t want fucking toilet duty! 

_God…I can already hear Rin laughing at me…_

However, as if by some miracle he suddenly heard footsteps receding down the hallway. 

The teen let his shoulders slump forward, releasing the air he had been holding.  Momo occupied a spot on the other side of the entryway, crouched down with a grin and a thumbs up for his companion.

And yet, still no Pyunsuke…

NNN

He needed a plan of action.  Rin knew he couldn’t blindly head out into the night!  First, how would he get off of campus without being detected?  He was certain an escape from the second story window would be unsuccessful. 

NNN

“Is there anywhere you _didn’t_ walk tonight, Momo?” he questioned with a loud sigh escaping past his lips, observing another empty hallway.

Momo slunk against the walls, humming what appeared to be a poor delivery of the _Mission Impossible_ theme, his exaggerated strides resembling a pinball ricocheting here and there, as teal eyes followed his actions.  

Sousuke placed a hand to his eyes and shook his head.

NNN

Why the hell had he even bothered? 

**_Nagisa: Wow!  You had a lover’s quarrel?!_ **

**_Rin:  A what?!_ **

**_Nagisa: You and Sou-chan are on the outs?  Oh RinRin, you are so coy!_ **

_(Rei has entered the conversation)_

**_Rei: Rin-senpai…it would appear that you are in need of some real assistance for this dilemma!_ **

**_Rin:  Ah, Rei…a voice of reason…_ **

**_Rei:  I have developed a map of the surrounding area and based upon the time that you stated Yamazaki-san left your dorm room, have determined these calculations!_ **

_(Rei has sent an attachment)_

Rin scowled at the intricate map on his laptop’s screen…

Eyes followed a red line, (obviously Sousuke’s path), before widening.

**_Rin: Rei, this says that Sousuke is now 10 miles away?!_ **

**_Nagisa: That’s our Sou-chan!  Working hard!_ **

**_Rei:  Nagisa-kun… (sigh)  Of course Rin-senpai, that’s if Yamazaki-san was walking.  Now if he’s running…based on his height, build and endurance levels…_ **

_(Rei has sent an attachment)_

Rin’s jaw hung open…

**_Nagisa: (whistles) 19, 3/4 miles?  Rei-san…this is uh…_ **

**_Rei:  Of course that’s based on the time I calculated this…(pushes glasses up)…Yamazaki-san’s probably closer to—_ **

**_Nagisa: (talking over the calculations), Well I guess the good news is that Sou-chan won’t freeze on a park bench, RinRin!_ **

NNN

“Sousuke-senpai,” they had come up short once again in the search, “why were you in the student lounge in the dark?”

Sousuke looked up, walking alongside of the younger boy, “Oh,” he rubbed the back of his neck and continued, “Rin needed some time alone.”

Momo appeared to be thinking deeply; he laced his fingers and cradled the back of his head, elbows propped as they quietly moved.

“It’s probably because he lost his individual race today.”

Sousuke’s eyes widened and in disbelief questioned, “Rin…lost?”

No one could win every race, but for some reason Rin just seemed untouchable.

“Yeah,” honestly remarked the ginger haired boy, “He swam butterfly instead of free today.  ”

The teal eyed boy found himself unconsciously rubbing his shoulder, his fingertips tracing the edges of the brace. 

“That’s probably why he was so wound up…” he quietly voiced his thoughts.  He felt something he hadn’t in a long while as Momo’s words entered his ears.

“We really missed you, Sousuke-senpai,” announced the enthusiastic boy, “you’re a part of our team.  I’m sure Rin-senpai missed you too.”

Sousuke’s eyes softened and for a moment he had left himself unguarded, fingers tightening around the fabric covering his shoulder.  The upperclassman quickly regained his composure and sincerely said, “Where else could you have left Pyunsuke?”

NNN

…This was a lame ass idea too…

**_Makoto: Hmmm…so you were upset because you were beaten at today’s race and—_ **

**_Haru: You took it out on Sousuke._ **

**_Makoto: (gasp) Haru!  Uh Rin, I’m sure what Haru meant was—_ **

**_Haru: (flatly) I know what I meant. (eating what appears to be mackerel)_ **

**_Rin: (growls) Yeah, whatever…so I don’t know where Sousuke is right now._ **

**_Makoto: (finger to chin in thought) He has no key card or phone?_ **

**_Haru: (looks stoic) Maybe he didn’t realize that until after he left, so he could be outside right now._ **

**_Makoto: This is true…but where would he go?_ **

**_Rin: Sousuke doesn’t really have the best sense of d—_ **

**_Haru: I’ve got it.  I know where Sousuke went._ **

**_Rin/Makoto: What?  How?_ **

**_Haru: He went to a food truck that sells mackerel at this late hour._ **

**_Rin: (groans)_ **

**_Makoto: (laughs nervously) Haru…that’s what you’d do…_ **

**_Rin: I’m not even sure that Sousuke likes mackerel…_ **

**_Haru: (looks very serious) Then you’re better off without him, Rin._ **

**_Rin/Makoto: (sigh)_ **

Absolutely useless…

NNN

Oh no!  He had been so certain that this is where Pyunsuke had been left. 

Sousuke opened the door to both the refrigerator and freezer in the student kitchen to spare Momo the shock, had someone put Pyunsuke on ice. 

Nothing but a freezer burned tub of ice cream and a container housing what appeared to be mystery meat stared back at him.  Momo released the breath he had been holding, his hand covering his rapidly beating heart.

“That means someone had to have found him!”

Yes…but who?

NNN

Rin had taken the plunge…

No other options….

His resolve was unwavering…

He crossed the hallway feigning going to the bathroom…

It was now or never…

NNN

Momo and Sousuke—well mostly Momo—were working on a possible _suspects_ list when a noise rang out from down the hallway.

_Shit!_

Their eyes widened!

Sousuke reached for the nearest door, found it unlocked and pushed them both forward before quietly closing it.

NNN

_Shit!_

Rin had taken out a recycling receptacle, and lunged forward, but it had all been in vain as the thud echoed down the empty hallway.

NNN

Footsteps quickly approached as the brunette peeked through the slits of the door but all he could make out was a dark figure as it ran by. 

He felt something dangling near his face and batted at it, at first thinking it to be a cobweb, yet when he grasped the object and pulled a dim dust covered lightbulb turned on. 

Momo occupied a spot in a yellow wheeled mop bucket, legs dangling over the sides, and a mop end resting on top of his head.  He blew upward and Sousuke had to place a hand to his mouth, as he took in the sight of his companion, appearing to have grown gray dreadlocks. 

The ginger haired boy took it all in good strides, as they occupied the dimly lit broom closet, “Sousuke-senpai…” he began with a grin, “I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you smile in a while.”

The brunette’s lips curled upward before he pulled the string once more to douse the light.

NNN

Rin wasn’t sure how he had narrowly escaped, but by some miracle he had…he hadn’t found Sousuke and there were only a few other common areas to look.  One just so happened to be in enemy territory…

His back occupied a wall as he cautiously peeked around the corner.  The teen could see the security office up ahead and a guard occupying a seat near the window.  As luck would have it, the guard was holding up a newspaper, covering all but his hat and brown hair from view. 

He could do this…

NNN

“Momo you need to hurry…” urged Sousuke, he didn’t sound too certain about this plan, and the idea of toilets was rearing its ugly head.

“I’m looking, I’m looking!” frantically replied the younger boy.

NNN

Of all the things Rin had done in his life…he wasn’t sure how he would live this one down if he got caught.

The red head quietly crawled on his hands and knees slowly nearing the window of the security office.  If he stayed close to the wall, he was certain to bypass the window, so that even if the guard did lower his newspaper Rin wouldn’t be detected.   

NNN

“Pyunsuke!” 

Sousuke turned to find Momo rubbing a glass jar against his cheek and cooing to the captive stag beetle. 

_Thank God._

NNN

Rin felt the vibration of a chair rolling back, heard it’s wheels let out of a groan and the sound of someone standing.

Crimson eyes widened.  Live or die? 

He got into a starting position, as if getting ready to run a race.  He could do this...

No way was Matsuoka Rin cleaning fucking toilets!  Not today!

NNN

Sousuke arched an eyebrow after hearing a noise, which oddly resembled something hitting a wall, “Did you hear something?”

Momo stopped rubbing the jar against his cheek and blinked, “Hear what?”

NNN

Running in sneakers, no problem.

Running on a tile floor in stocking feet…

Walls can be quite unforgiving adversaries as Rin had just learned…

NNN

Sousuke and Momo quietly made their way down the hallway leading to the younger boy’s dorm room.  They walked in amicable silence, after Momo had offered to house Sousuke for the evening in return for finding Pyunsuke.  The brunette had been resolved, yet after passing a clock which revealed it to be almost 1am, he had relented.  A bed sounded pretty good right now over a couch. 

They turned the corner and nearly jumped at the sight of another person in their path.  Momo held Pyunsuke’s jar in a death grip, the scream that would have erupted from his mouth having been silenced by Sousuke’s warm hand.

“Oi…you two?!” the hiss of their accuser rang out, a hand going to their heart in emphasis.

Sousuke kept his hand over Momo’s mouth for a moment longer—what sounded to be a gurgled but cheerful greeting escaped from his companion. 

“Rin, what are you doing here?” Sousuke whispered suspiciously as he arched an eyebrow. 

“Me?”  Rin placed his hands on his hips and looked annoyed, “What the hell are you two doing out this late?”

Momo pushed Sousuke’s hand down and grinned, “Sousuke-senpai was helping me find Pyunsuke!”

Both upperclassman immediately hushed him. 

Rin deadpanned, “You were helping Momo find his beetle?”

The brunette looked uncommitted in the current situation, as his hand rubbed his tense shoulder, “It was something to do.”

Rin’s eyes narrowed as the captain in him took over, “If any of us get caught it won’t be good for the swim team.” He pointed toward the hallway which led to the boy’s dorm room.  “Momo, bed. Now.” 

Momo gave a mock salute and did as he was told.  “Thanks again, Sousuke-senpai.”

Sousuke ruefully watched as his housing opportunity went down the drain…back to the couch…

“Oi, where are you going?”

Sousuke tilted his head back toward the redhead who held a look of frustration on his features.  He furrowed his brown brows in contemplation and pointed his thumb toward the student lounge. 

“Bed?” he offered with a frown. 

Rin grabbed hold of his classmate’s arm and gave him a tug. 

“Let’s go.”

“Where?”

Rin growled in annoyance, “To bed obviously.”

“You told me to get out,” flatly remarked Sousuke, quickly falling into step with his companion.

“Shut up,” he appeared to be pouting, and almost inaudibly mentioned, “I might have changed my mind.”

Now Sousuke looked amused, “Did you come looking for me, Rin?”

The crimson eyed teen felt his face warm and gaped, “Like hell I would do—

“Ah…but you’re out here past curfew…”  Sousuke lazily drawled, hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt, as they neared their room.

“Shut up, you idiot…”

NNN

As Rin stared up at the bottom of the mattress above his head he let out a sigh. 

“Sousuke?”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s do something fun this weekend, alright?”

He felt Sousuke turn onto his side, while awaiting a response, he closed his eyes.

“That wasn’t fun enough for you?” 

Rin heard the snort escape and grinned in response, “Shut up…”

NNN

Please leave a comment if you enjoyed.


	3. Spring Break: Alpaca My Bags!

Author’s Notes:  Thank you for your continued support!  I am so beyond happy at the moment, for the new season of Free!  is coming next week AND Sousuke is listed on the cast list and seen on the promotional video!  Can we finally get some closure and see this baby boy live out his dream?!

NNN

 

Sousuke wasn’t sure how he had been roped into this trip; maybe it had been the shyness in Ai’s question?  The grin on Rin’s face?  Or the glimmer of what was to come, in Momo’s eyes?

 

_Two weeks ago…_

They were eating dinner in the cafeteria and preparing for next week’s big test.  Rin looked up from his book and growled, turning his pencil over, before aggressively erasing the answer and watching the paper tear from the impact.

“Tch!”

Sousuke’s teal eyes lingered on the destruction before him, chopsticks resting in his mouth, having forgotten to chew the piece of dinner. 

Rin’s face was going through the emotions—anger, disbelief, more anger, counting backwards from five—and Sousuke had seen them all before.  He chewed silently, before swallowing and dared crane his neck forward to see what was causing the red head such frustration. 

_Aa…math, that’s odd._  

Sousuke’s best subject and normally one of Rin’s too.  Throwing caution to the wind, he reached and turned the book toward himself, earning a glare. 

Narrowed crimson eyes met a lazy sea of green, before relenting.  The brunette shifted his gaze to read the equation that was the cause of such turmoil.  The redhead sat quietly—yet an occasional grumble did escape, as he sat with his arms crossed and his long fingers tapping the side of his arm in annoyance. 

“What part has you stumped, Rin?”

Sousuke’s clear voice was always a mood changer.  For the most part, unless giving in to Rin’s antics, the taller teen was level headed and a calm observer.  Sousuke could usually solve a problem quicker than anyone Rin knew—it was merely Rin’s competitive nature that made him not want to be outdone by anyone!

Rin leaned forward, propping his elbow on the table, before resting his chin in hand and pointed his pencil toward the equation.

“I can’t figure out how the hell to factor this equation from this point,” he angrily jabbed the book with the end of his pencil for emphasis.

“Aa, alright…” murmured Sousuke, eyes not leaving the page, and deftly removed the pencil from Rin’s hand, “so your quadratic equation is this…” 

Rin leaned closer as Sousuke turned a piece of paper toward him and began scribbling out the method. 

“So your quadratic equation would have to be like this…” 

_Sousuke has a very soothing voice._  

Rin felt his breath hitch for a moment.  What the hell was he thinking?  But Sousuke really did…

“Rin?” 

Their eyes locked, Sousuke having tilted his face and ending up a little closer to Rin’s,

“Are you listening?”

A familiar smirk, accompanied the tease in those ocean eyes. 

The crimson eyed teen merely grumbled and pointed to the paper, “Go on and continue, you _idiot_ …”

“Oh?” 

Rin always gave into Sousuke’s taunts, but he really needed to get this homework completed, and he was doing well until the brunette added,

“I’m not the one who couldn’t figure this out,” and the icing on the cake, “so who is the _idiot_ , now?”

“You’re going down Yamazaki…”

“The only thing going down is your GPA if you don’t pay attention,” lazily antagonized his best friend, flicking Rin gently in the forehead with the eraser of the pencil, to drive his point home.

Problem solved, meal completed, the two made their way back to their dorm room for what was hopefully going to be an easy night. 

Okay…so it’s not like Rin minded being alone.  It’s just that, well he and Sousuke were going to just hang out, and there was a new movie on Netflix…

_“Yamazaki-senpai!”_

_Rin turned to find a trio of guys quickly approaching with wide smiles and waving arms._

_Sousuke turned to greet them, hands in the pockets of his track jacket and placid expression._

_“We’re down a goalie for soccer!” announced the blond in their group, his blue eyes shining in anticipation._

_“Help us out, please?!”  the shortest of the trio, a brunette, pleaded and put his hands together in prayer._

_Sousuke silently glanced toward Rin, yet seeing no response, merely gave a shrug and an accompanying nod._

_“YES!” cried the over joyous group before pushing him down the corridor.  “We’re going to win!”_

Yet here Rin stood—not in his room, but on the 2nd floor of the academic building—looking out over the soccer field as Sousuke stopped another goal from being made.  Sousuke was popular outside of swimming, well rounded when it came to his physique, and seeming to need Rin less and less as the year progressed. 

Rin knew he’d be going to Australia in the fall, leaving Japan once again, and the friends he had reunited with.  Maybe he and Sousuke should hang out during spring break?

NNN

That’s how the whole thought had begun, as Rin had informed Sousuke.  The brunette just wasn’t sure how Ai and Momo had fallen into the mix, along with festivals, sumo wrestling and old shrines.

They occupied the back of a train car, Momo and Ai sitting a few rows in front of them.  Sousuke rubbed his shoulder and looked out the window, watching as the world moved past them. 

“You okay?”

The taller teen turned his focus back to his best friend, whose face held a frown, motioning toward the brunette’s shoulder.

“Yeah, it’s just stiff,” he slowly replied, his face held a look of boredom.

Rin’s expression shifted, he tilted his head down, baseball cap shielding his face from view as he seemed to grumpily add,

“You didn’t want to come, did you?”

Rin was aware that he must sound like a petulant child.  Momo and Ai were animatedly pointing out the windows and gushing about the experience of being on a train overnight.  While Sousuke, seemed uncomfortable in the snug train seat and with the entire situation.

“Its fine, Rin,” announced Sousuke, before standing up and excusing himself.

“Wh-where are you going?” questioned his companion. 

“For a walk?” offered the teen with a shrug. “Don’t worry I won’t get lost,” teal eyes gleamed with a hint of amusement. 

Rin watched as Sousuke made his way down the train car, ruffling Momo’s hair in the process.  The animated boy bounced out of his seat to follow after his tall and stoic senpai—heading toward the food car. 

Rin slumped in his seat.

_What the hell?  Why am I feeling like this?_

NNN

Momo had a brochure unfolded on the table in the snack bar of the train.  He pointed to various locations on the inside map, his happiness bubbling over, as Sousuke sipped his cola and gave a good portion of his attention to the younger teen.

Sousuke’s thoughts drifted to the topics of sumo wrestlers in amongst other things.  The amber eyed boy, although quirky and on _too_ much sugar, was growing on him—if he were truly honest.  There was something oddly endearing about the little beetle lover.

“Sousuke senpai,” he energetically blurted and pointed eagerly to the map, “Look!”

NNN

Rin looked up from his phone, occupying a bed in the train compartment, to find a can of cola awaiting him.

The can, of course, was attached to the hand of a lazy looking brunette.  Rin sighed and took the offered can, watching as Sousuke slid his sneakers off and sat down on the bed across from him.  Crimson eyes moved across to the other occupant in the room, hearing the sound of a cola can open. 

“What’s wrong?”

The sharp toothed boy observed the teal eyed teen furrow his brows.  Rin sighed, “Nothing.  I guess I am just tired.”

“Aa.” 

Sousuke turned his attention toward his duffle bag and began rummaging before pulling out a pair of ear buds.

Great.  This was going terribly…Rin had such high hopes, (even still unbeknownst to him), of just talking with his roommate.  The year was already partially over and they would be parting ways in August.  It wasn’t as though he’d given much thought to Sousuke—hell, if Rin were being honest—he hadn’t thought about the brunette much until he had appeared in his homeroom. 

Sousuke was actually someone who Rin admired.  Even with the prospect of having to permanently give up his dream, his companion was strong.  He wondered if Sousuke had even shed a tear or merely accepted this as a possible fate. 

Seeing Sousuke recline back onto the mattress with earbuds in, Rin figured he wouldn’t breach the topic tonight.

NNN

Momo was a ball of energy regardless of the time of day, so it wasn’t any wonder that the moment the train pulled into the station he was off and running.  Ai called after the boy—who would have easily disappeared into the crowd—but it was Sousuke who managed to snatch the back of Momo’s jacket.  Rin barely had time to let out a growl in annoyance trying to keep track of all three of his teammates.  Sousuke was notoriously getting lost, Momo threw caution to the wind in pursuit of his interests and Ai would be trampled by a crowd due to his timid demeanor.

Sousuke looked stoic, holding onto an overly enthusiastic boy, and receiving odd looks from tourists.  Ai placed his hand to his rapidly beating heart—yeah this was going to be _fun_.

NNN

The four occupied a table at a restaurant with a large pot simmering in the middle. 

“Momo-kun, you shouldn’t eat all the meat,” advised Ai.

Momo’s chopsticks froze for a moment, “But Nitori-senpai, it’s my favorite!”

Sousuke picked through the vegetables in his bowl with a thoughtful expression.  It surely wasn’t a pork cutlet bowl, but the restaurant serving hot pot had been the first the hungry teens had spotted.

Rin placed a piece of a food into his mouth and let his mind go back to earlier in the season…

_He had cried a lot that day.  Before the relay, after the relay, when it had really sunk in that Sousuke’s condition may be irreversible._

_There had been a heavy silence that night in their dormitory room.  They’d come in second, but had formed an ultimate team—surely a bond had been made with that very race.  Sousuke had showered, before climbing up the bunk ladder and disappearing onto his bed._

_Rin wondered if he should even bother saying anything more…_

_“Stop thinking about it…” came a wise yet lazy drawl from above._

_“Like hell I will…” growled the red head._

_“There’s nothing that can be done,” continued this voice of reason, “just focus on yourself.”_

Rin had realized, that was really all he seemed to do—focus on himself since he returned from Australia.  Focus on _your_ pain, _your_ ego, _you, you, you_ …

It was Sousuke who had made Rin realize how much Ai was pushing himself to be on the relay team.  It was Sousuke who reminded him that while they were not Haru and the others, what they had worked for wasn’t worthless.

“Is your food bad, Rin-senpai?”

Momo’s question had caught Rin off guard.  He quickly resumed chewing and averted his eyes angrily.  “Its fine,” he practically spat.

“Matsuoka-senpai, is something wrong?” cheerfully asked Ai with a small smile.

“I’m fine,” the sharp tooth boy announced, chopping into a piece of meat with vigor to emphasize his point.

Sousuke merely sat quietly, giving his companion a sideways glance.  He’d known Rin for a long time, long enough to know that something was on the teen’s mind.  But long enough to know that when Rin wanted to speak, he would.

NNN

Momo and Ai had gone to the pool after settling into their hotel room.  Sousuke had opted for a walk and found a hand catching his wrist.  He turned, ocean green eyes landing on the source.  Rin seemed to be out of breath, his face full of annoyance, and hand gripping the brunette’s wrist.

“Why are you being like this, you asshole?”

Sousuke merely blinked, trying to comprehend the red head’s words.  “Rin, what are you talking about?”

Now Rin really was pissed.  He took in his companion’s stoic expression, relaxed nature and eyes holding a hint of confusion. 

“Ow?”  Offered the teal eyed teen, from the impact of Rin’s foot to his calf.  “Feel better?”

The sharp toothed boy merely groaned and admitted, “Not really.”

“What’s with you?” 

“Me?!  What’s with you?!”

“I’m not the one yelling at people and kicking them.  What would your mother say?”

“You’re a bastard.”

“So I’ve been told…but I don’t think your mother would say that.”

Their laughter soon filled the courtyard of the hotel. 

NNN

“I didn’t think you wanted to be here…”

They were lying on their backs on the grass, looking upward at the star filled sky. 

Rin heard Sousuke let out a deep breath before saying, “I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t want to.”

“You just keep disappearing and you’ve hardly said two words to me, so I thought…”

“You should worry more about yourself, you kn—

Rin had turned onto his side and bridged the gap between them, his crimson eyes harboring a deep emotion, one that caused for Sousuke’s breath to hitch.  Sea green eyes widened at the look his best friend’s face held.

Before he could fathom anything, a small voice, (devoid of its natural enthusiasm), entered his ears, 

“Who worries about _you_ , moron?”

Rin’s eyes continued to search the face of his childhood friend…

It was true, there was no mother or sister waiting at home for Sousuke.  Whether he sunk or swim, it was of his own doing… 

_Are you making fun of relays?!_

_No…_

_The brunette looked so hardened, something Rin just couldn’t relate to.  It went far past the concept of a relay, being weighed down by a team, beyond winning or losing…_

_When you swim, you’re alone._

Sousuke merely smiled.  Rin always wasted his efforts on things he shouldn’t and was a notorious crybaby since childhood. 

“What’s gotten into you?” teased the brunette with a smirk before flicking Rin’s forehead, “Between your face and mumbling, you’re creeping me out…”

Yet there was none of the usual rebuttal, instead his actions were ceased, Rin holding him to the spot by words alone.

“I’m sorry you’re hurting…” He watched as Rin closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his thoughts, “…and that you won’t fucking tell anyone…”

And Sousuke felt his world stand still for a moment…

“But you don’t always have to be alone, damn it!”

And that’s when Rin’s self-control finally crashed and the tears fell…

NNN

Drama!  Let’s see what next week brings with Dive to the Future!  #GiveSousukeaDreamin2018!


	4. The Space Between Us

Author’s Notes: Going to be drifting from Past to Present in this short one…and can I just say this season of Free! is killing me with all the feels!!! Sou-chan is training!!!

NNN

 

 

_Honestly…_

They really were the worst pair.  Too much alike, and yet too different to be together—coming to Samezuka had been a mistake.  Sousuke could see that now.  Instead of building Rin up, he felt that he had done nothing but tear him down.  What the hell was Rin thinking?  Wasting his thoughts on Sousuke and his damn shoulder?  Rin needed to focus on the future…that’s what Sousuke had been telling himself lately…

“ _Rin_ ,” began Sousuke with a frown, “you cry too much.”

“There you go again, you idiot!” angrily remarked the redhead, tears cascading down his cheeks, as he grabbed a fistful of his companion’s shirt. 

The action brought them closer than Rin probably intended given the situation, yet Sousuke sat unmoving and allowed for it to happen.  He could feel Rin’s warm breath as it came out in uneven gasps, noticed the tension as fingers pulled at his shirt front, and felt droplets settling into his jeaned thigh. 

“I know you can swim again…” murmured the smaller male in between tears.

“Of course I can swim,” observed the brunette, glancing upward at the starry sky, “It’s not like I don’t know how to swim.”

“That’s not what I mean…”

Sousuke knew exactly what Rin meant.  Yet, coming to Samezuka was never about seeing swimming as a future, it was to grasp one last dream—and he had—to swim with Rin in a relay.  He could honestly say he had no regrets. 

“You sound like I’m dying,” his annoyance was clearly evident, “just because I don’t swim professionally doesn’t give you the right to get snot on my favorite shirt, ya know?”

Rin looked up to find ocean eyes and a small smile in his line of vision as Sousuke gently removed his shirt from the redhead’s fingers.  The brunette frowned, poorly examining his shirt in the dimly lit area for traces of bodily fluids, always one to tease the sharp toothed boy. 

Rin was left with that thought that his friend was never going to understand what it was he was trying to say. 

_I want to wait for you…_

But maybe Rin would always be waiting…because maybe Rin was the only who couldn’t accept Sousuke’s future revolving around something other than swimming. 

NNN

They parted ways at the end of summer. 

Rin was in his dorm while attending college in Sydney.  In between swimming he had spent a lot of time thinking about the last year.  Momo and Ai texted often…but not Sousuke.  Rin had meant to sit down and write to the brunette, but where should he begin? 

It’d been a month since they had last seen one another.  All of his attempts started the same way,

_Dear Sousuke,_

_The swim team here in Australia is great.  Every day I get faster and can’t wait to—_

And then the redhead would find himself crumpling up the paper and tossing the makeshift ball into the trash.

_Dear Sousuke,_

_Wow!  The weather here in Australia is amazing!  The ocean is still pretty damn cold though, too cold to swim in—_

It seemed like the only thing Rin had to share about himself pertained to water…the one thing that was uncertain for his childhood best friend.  The sharp toothed boy sighed and put his head down on his desk, pressing his forehead against the cool wood which occupied a spot in front of the humming air conditioner.  Behind his closed eyelids danced memories…

NNN

They’d seen movies together that summer.  Perhaps the most memorable outing was when Haru and Makoto had joined them. 

“Rin, are you certain this movie is alright?”  Sousuke’s face held a look of disbelief as he stood in front of the large promotional poster. 

“Of course,” replied the redhead with a sense of bravado, “why wouldn’t it be?”

Teal eyes shifted toward their companion, “Are you trying to impress Nanase?”

The smaller male looked agitated suddenly, fists bawling and sharp teeth flashing, “Wh-What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Sousuke merely shrugged with hands in his pockets, reading the large italicized letters of the title once more.  “You’ve never wanted to see this type of movie before…it’s always those romantic chees—

Before the redhead could become anymore flustered by Sousuke’s observation, their other party members arrived on site. 

“Rin.  Sousuke,” greeted Makoto with a smile, with a lazy looking Haru at his side.

Yet the mood soon changed when Rin grinned and teased,

“Not scared are you, Haru?”

“Of course not,” challenged Haru, “why are you, Rin?”

“Wh-What?!”  Rin seemed to rise to the occasion, “Of course I wouldn’t be!” 

Sousuke listened to the boldness in Rin’s tone—watched as Makoto tried to smooth things out with a nervous smile—and groaned inwardly with how this was going to play out over the next 2 hours of the slasher film.

Sousuke watched as Makoto’s arms lifted early on and merely sighed when gravity showered him with a rain of kernels and buttered popcorn.  He really had hoped in the dimly lit theater that his face appeared to demonstrate his acceptance over Tachibana’s apologies.  The poor guy looked as if he wanted to shrink and crawl into a hole.  Being taller than most, had given Sousuke the vantage point of being able to see Nanase’s bored expression, as he soundlessly slid his popcorn bag toward the green eyed teen.  He noticed that Haru was good enough to keep a firm grip on the offered bag. 

There wasn’t much movement coming from his left side, as was anticipated, yet teal eyes still stole a glance toward the redhead.  Rin’s hand was in the bag of his popcorn—frozen—crimson eyes wide and fixated on the screen ahead.  Well it was about this time that Sousuke decided he might as well get another cola from the concession stand, he placed his hands on the arms of the chair to stand, but blinked feeling a hand grasp his wrist. 

An eyebrow arched, looking toward his wide eyed companion, who now had hold of him.  The broad shouldered teen knew that he must be blocking Nanase’s line of view…and if he were to move than Haru would definitely see that Rin wasn’t accustomed to these sorts of films.  On the other hand, Rin had chosen this film of his own accord.  Poor Tachibana had been sucked in by Rin’s competitive nature.

In the end, he did what any good friend would do…

He grabbed Tachibana and went to the concession stand.

Makoto looked like Sousuke was his new Lord and Savior—if the appreciation on his face was of any indication.  They sat on a bench and sipped their colas, talking about nothing in particular until their companions joined them. 

Rin was red faced and his crimson eyes fell on the one who had betrayed him—sitting on a bench and laughing with Makoto. 

Haru looked overall disinterested as he stated, “I think it was nice of Yamazaki to take Makoto out of the theater.  He’d never have left on his own, no matter how afraid he was.”

…And then Rin felt stupid for even suggesting this sort of movie…

NNN

“I see why you like him so much.”

It wasn’t the first time that Sousuke had made that comment.  “Nanase will be a good rival for you, Rin.”

Sousuke wasn’t planning on coming back….

NNN

Thanks for reading.  If you enjoyed leave a review. More to come as my heart nearly explodes weekly this season.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 


	5. As We Grow and Change

**SPOILER ALERT – DO NOT READ AUTHOR’S NOTES IF NOT CAUGHT UP WITH DIVE TO THE FUTURE!**

 

Author’s Notes:  I am both amazingly happy and laughing so hard after episode 10 of “Dive to the Future”.  I work at an aquarium and I am raising two Chain Catsharks (technically a dogfish) which hatched in April.  I named them Sousuke and Rin—Sousuke sleeps on the top of the sea weed and Rin on the bottom (so even in the shark world they know which “bunk” theirs is). I didn’t see any throw downs in the determination process.  Having Rin say that the dogfish shark was cute put me in an amazing mood.  Of course, that coupled with Sousuke’s successful surgery just put me on Cloud 9!

 

NNN

Sousuke had a lot on his mind these days.  It was stressful enough trying to plan one’s future—but the teen had a burden on his shoulders.  The teen had dubbed his shoulder a _bomb_ , and it was uncertain when it might be triggered.

Summer had been fun.  It had been nice getting to know the Samezuka team, and even Ai and Momo’s antics had been amusing.  The unfinished letter on his desk still remained with the same two words etched on paper, _Dear Rin_.  Sousuke had asked Gou not to mention anything about his shoulder or doctor’s visits to Rin.  The brunette would come up with a way to breach the subject; that is, once he himself figured it out.

He stood up and grabbed his hoodie from the rack before heading out for his evening run…

NNN

Rin was working harder than ever under Mikhail’s guidance.  He wasn’t sure why the man had taken an interest in him—outside of his muscles—but if it got him to the global stage, Rin wasn’t going to complain.

He often wondered how Haru’s training was going back in Japan, but after meeting Kirishima Natsuya, Rin had been thinking about Sousuke more.

_“I understand why you like him so much…”_

Sousuke’s words often rang through Rin’s mind.  The sharp toothed boy’s brow furrowed in thought.  He wasn’t in love with Haru—that was Makoto’s job.  Rin supposed that people would think that, as he was passionate when it came to swimming and he prided himself on meeting and beating Haru on the global stage. 

In fact, it was kind of embarrassing to think that so many people thought he had the hots for the raven haired mackerel lover.  Racing Haru just lit a fire inside of the red head; it always had.

_“I found someone I want to swim with…”_

A younger boy had stated those words to a teal eyed butterfly swimmer years ago…and perhaps, it wasn’t until last year that Rin realized those words had been hurtful. 

_“Oh…”_

That was the only word Yamazaki Sousuke uttered that day in response to Rin’s proclamation—and the red head had been blind to the fact that he had ditched a friendship in pursuit of a dream.  Sousuke had been the one to initiate writing back then, and Rin had ditched those letters when his dream didn’t pan out. 

No letter had come from the teal eyed boy in Japan, and Rin couldn’t get past the words, _Dear Sousuke_ on the piece of paper occupying his desk. 

Without swimming, did they have anything that connected them?

As Rin placed his ear buds in to start his morning run to the athletic center, he wondered about his time spent with Sousuke…

Natsuya’s teasing words entered his mind, _“Oh you’re the adulterer type?  How many guys do you want to swim with?”_

_I didn’t say those words out of pity.  I do want to swim with Sousuke again, but I never considered what Sousuke’s decision might be.  Fucking Momo’s capybara dream interrupted me at the hot springs…and I couldn’t ask Sou if he was content with never swimming competitively again.  He couldn’t be, right?_

Haru’s animosity that day in the locker room…

_“That’s your dream!”_

Did Rin just push his dreams onto others? 

_“You should join the swim club!”_

_“Why?”_

_“Because it’d be fun!”_

_“I don’t even know how to swim…”_

_“I’ll teach you!”_

Weeks of nagging and then Sousuke had finally caved.  Sousuke had become a better butterfly swimmer than Rin—who had taught him!  It was a shock to Rin, who cried after losing.    

And then like a fad, Rin had left Sousuke behind because he didn’t understand the brunette’s reasoning for not wanting to swim in a relay. 

Things were different now; yet the little voice in his mind whispered, _you’re doing it again…_

And all because Sousuke hadn’t been the first to write.

NNN

A few more weeks had turned into months and outside of updates from Momo and Ai, Rin had failed to contact Sousuke.  The red head told himself that Sousuke was just as much to blame…but Rin had never been very good at keeping up communications in the past.

Rin knew he was fixated on his rivalry with Haru, but he sincerely wanted to swim with Sousuke again too. 

His phone lit up, alerting him to a text…

**Nagisa** : Hi, RinRin!  Our joint practice with Samezuka is going well!  Sou-chan even coached our newest member! P.S.  Momo says he wants a kangaroo plushie when you come this spring! 

NNN

It hurt.  He wasn’t going to lie.  Waking up alone in a hospital room with it’s annoying fluorescent lighting, boring beige walls, and a dry erase board which stated who his on call doctor and nurse were—along with today’s special, including green Jell-o, wasn’t much of an encouragement.

Sousuke’s shoulder ached, and his head was swimming from the anesthesia during the surgery.  He recalled right before being put under a fleeting thought, _what if the surgery fails?_

They wouldn’t know anything until the inflammation went down.   Sousuke anticipated that the surgeon would be in later that afternoon to describe the state of his shoulder upon operating.  The brunette wasn’t unaccustomed to pain, but even the slightest movement now, made him cringe. 

With a sigh he opted to close his teal eyes and see if sleep would take him once more…

NNN

The All Japan Invitational was soon.  Rin was excited.  Excited to be back in Japan, excited to see Ai and Momo, and excited to see the Iwatobi crew once more.  He’d grown this season in Australia, and he looked forward to hearing about how the others had been. 

Rin planned a quick stop home to see Gou and his mother, then head to Samezuka to visit with his former teammates.  He’d even managed to find a stuffed kangaroo for the orange haired boy.  Rin made sure to place it in his suitcase and laughed while imagining the look on Momo’s face. 

NNN

Sousuke’s phone lit up indicating a text.  He was on a break from physical therapy and from the watchful eye of his PT allowing him to find a vending machine and retrieve the much desired can of cola. 

**Gou:** Sousuke-kun!  Onii-chan will be in Japan in a few weeks!  Have you told him about your surgery?

The teal eyed teen smiled in remembrance…

_“Ah, you’re awake, “greeted the middle-aged man, as he entered the hospital room._

_Sousuke recognized the surgeon and gave a slight nod despite the radiating pain in his shoulder._

_The doctor had a seat in the nearby wooden chair and opened the chart in hand.  “Your shoulder wasn’t the worst I had seen,” he began with a smile and his brown eyes softening, “It’s obviously too soon to tell, but I think we’re going to have a success story…”_

_Sousuke’s eyes widened at the hopeful statement and it reminded him of his childhood friend,_

_“Don’t give up before you even try…”_

He texted Gou back soon after…

**Sousuke:** No.  Rin’s busy taking on the world.  Keep me posted to when Rin arrives, and I’ll reach out then.

**Gou:** Jeez…you two really are alike...

NNN

A few week’s later Rin’s plane landed in Japan and he had to admit he was pretty happy about the undivided attention from his mother and sister—Steve on the other hand…

That cat hardly gave the redhead the time of day.  Rin sighed, it had always been like this between him and the fat cat. 

“Does he like anyone besides the two of you?”  offered the sharp toothed boy awaiting dinner. 

Gou laughed, “He likes Sousuke-kun.”

“Huh?” 

Rin’s crimson eyes widened at the image on Gou’s phone.  There was Steve, sitting on Sousuke’s lap, while Gou explained that Sousuke had helped her carry some items home one afternoon. 

“Sousuke said, _Yo_ , _Steve_ ,” she did her best to imitate Sousuke and grinned, “and Steve came right over to Sousuke-kun and they stayed like that while I made tea.”

Rin gave the cat a look of disbelief, “…Steve, you have questionable taste in people…”

His sister merely laughed and then quieted for a moment, she looked a little disheartened, “Onii-chan, have you spoken to Sousuke-kun?”

The crimson eyed boy nearly choked on his tea.  “Well…no…” he cleared his throat in response to the little glare of judgment she shot toward him, “not recently…why?”

Gou waved her hands nervously and laughed, “Oh, no reason.  You two just aren’t very good at staying in touch, so I thought I would ask.”

NNN

After dinner, Rin thought he would go to Sousuke’s house and surprise him.  He’d picked up this _great_ souvenir from Australia to give to the brunette and he couldn’t wait to see Sousuke’s face.

Kazuma answered the door shortly after a few rings from the bell and greeted Rin with a familiar smile.  “Welcome home, kid.”

“Kazuma, it’s great to be back,” was Rin’s friendly response.  “Is Sousuke home?”

Kazuma mentally sighed.  _Typical._   His little brother wasn’t the best at communicating with others.  “No.  I’m sorry, Rin,” he apologized because it wasn’t his place to say any more, “Sousuke isn’t home right now.”

Rin didn’t seem to mind and smiled, “Can you have him call me when he gets back?  I’m only in town for another day and—

“Rin,” offered the brunette with a look of understanding, “Sousuke won’t be back before you leave, so maybe you should just give him a call if you want to talk?”

Later Rin would think nothing of it, besides bad timing and being unable to see his friend.  It wouldn’t be until he went to Samezuka the next morning that Ai and Momo would reveal Sousuke’s surgery.

NNN

Rin would manage to get the rest of the information from his sister who chided him as if he were a child.  Rin felt like shit.  He should have reached out to Sousuke long before now.  The surgery had a 50/50 success rate. 

The crimson eyed teen occupied a spot on his bed, surrounded by the memories of his childhood room.  Rin wasn’t stupid.  The surgery be a painful process and Sousuke’s rehab had started over a month ago.  Rin could feel the tears threatening against the corners of his eyes when his phone vibrated from his pocket.

_I’m such a shit friend…_

**Sousuke:** Gou says that you’ll be coming to Tokyo for a few days.  Would you like to meet up?    

NNN

That night Rin dreamed of his last outing with the brunette before he headed to the airport last fall….

_It was the last time that they would walk home together.  Their childhood had come to an end and this time when they parted ways, it would be on the verge of becoming adults.  Rin’s life held so much promise, promise he wanted Sousuke’s to have._

_It was bittersweet as they neared home.  The brunette walked silently along side of his best friend, hands in the pockets of his jeans and a contented expression on his face.  They had spent the day browsing through stores, eating bad food and seeing a romantic film—which Rin knew Sousuke hated.  Of course, his best friend had no qualms about teasing Rin for crying at the end of the cheesy film._

_The street lights flickered as they turned on along illuminating the roadside and Rin realized that he needed to say something now…because tomorrow they would be on separate continents.  Yet it was his companion who broke the silence._

_“Be sure to set the world on fire,” stated Sousuke with a grin, “and don’t cry too much while you do it.”_

_Rin merely stared at the outstretched fist.  A few moments passed and Sousuke arched an eyebrow, he resembled the boy Rin had attended Sano Elementary school with as he spoke, “What’s wrong?”_

_Rin wasn’t sure what had compelled him to do so, yet he reached forward and held his childhood friend in his embrace and said, “Nothing’s wrong, you idiot!”_

_Sousuke looked down, his teal eyes softening as Rin held him.  “You’re such a cry baby…”_

NNN

Now Rin was standing at the intersection of a busy street with a coffee shop in sight.  He checked his phone again to determine that he was in the right place and took a deep breath. 

He was going to see just how much he had grown this season…

NNN

I really love this season of Free!  Our ships are really becoming canon in so many ways. Next part will be Rin’s POV and how their evolving relationship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	6. Am I Your Sunshine?

Author’s Notes:  Sorry it’s been so long!  Work has been very busy and it’s also convention season, so I’ve been cosplaying and was gearing up to meet Ian Sinclair last weekend (the VA for Sou-chan).  I gave him a Samezuka care package, complete with little shark plush, shark tooth necklace, shark slap bracelet and goldfish packets.  It was well received.   

I figured, I better get updating while inspiration hits…so this is just a little narrative piece, of sorts, to pave the way for a future outing, and get to the bottom of how each boy is feeling.

NNN

Sousuke must have gotten better with directions over the course of a year.  He’d picked the coffee shop where Rin currently stood in front of, and Sousuke was even there ahead of the redhead.  He was nervous.  Matsuoka Rin was nervous to see one of his oldest friends.  What the fuck was up with that?

But…it was true…

_Just cross the street.  Open the door to the coffee shop and go inside.  It’s just Sousuke…_

Even the sharp tooth boy’s hands were feeling clammy as they reached for the door knob to the shop. 

_This is ridiculous.  What the hell is wrong with me?_

Rin glared at the door as if it were some adversary blocking his path and reached forward to grasp the handle and fling open the door, really show it who was boss, and it should have worked out too.  However, at the exact same moment he had reached forward, eyes narrowed, and teeth bared, this poor little biddy with gray hair pushed open the door and met Rin’s intimidating expression.

After a few uncomfortable apologies, Rin had entered the establishment.  It only took a moment for his eyes to fall on the familiar looking brunette occupying a bar stool seat in the scarcely busy establishment.  Sousuke seemed to be glowing in mid-morning sunlight which poured in through the long window’s pane of glass.  The brunette had a blue jacket and black jeans…Rin might tease that he resembled a bruise, if it weren’t for the fact that blue always complimented his best friend.  A white cup and matching saucer sat in front of Sousuke, and his attention drawn to the screen of his phone as he idly swiped his thumb along something of interest.  Just at a glance, the crimson eyed teen could tell that Sousuke looked well.   

Rin couldn’t ignore the feeling of the corners of his lips, as they curled upward, in response to a pair of ocean green eyes meeting his.  Anyone else would have missed the slight change of Sousuke’s expression, (from stoic to barely-there smile), and it made Rin’s heart jump for some unknown reason.   

NNN

_“Yo. Good to see you, Rin.”_

It’s the same way Sousuke always greets me; however, I guess I didn’t realize how much I had missed the familiarity of those words. 

_“Hey, Sousuke.”_

I know that I am smiling, and there’s a tenderness in my response as I make my way toward the counter and soon occupy the stool next to his.  It’s not awkward at all—the way we just fall back into conversation, as if it hadn’t been nearly a year since our last greeting. 

I want to tease Sousuke about his shitty lack of communication, but I know that I am just as much to blame.  I try to distract my mind with other questions for the time being, as I don’t want to breach the subject currently at the front of my list.

_“It’s been a while, huh?”_

We sit forward, gazing out the shop window at the people passing by on their way to work, shopping complexes or merely out to pass the time.

_“Yeah.  When did you get in from Sydney?”_

It’s nice—hearing Sousuke’s deep voice, being with him like this after so much occurring in our senior year.  Sydney is good, it’s not like it was when I was a kid.  I’m not lonely anymore, I think, while sparing a glance at my companion.

_“Uh, a little while ago.  I’m here for the All-Japan Invitational.”_

…I wish you were too…

NNN

_“The All-Japan, huh?”_

I’m so proud of Rin for following his dreams.  I’ve known for a long time that my overbearing childhood friend, has always had what it takes to be on the Olympic stage. 

Rin’s comment pulls me from my thoughts, _“Oh yeah, I got you a souvenir too.”_

I turn my head and soon wish I hadn’t as my eyes meet those of a smiling cartoon koala riding a rocket ship.  I hold the offensive pink shirt in hand and contemplate my response. 

_“Uh…”_

Rin is quick to happily suggest, _“You have a scary looking face, so I thought it would soften your image a little.”_

I soon come to the best conclusion in response to this little shit and stoically respond, _“Very funny.”_  Because seriously, this had to be a fucking joke, right?

_“Shut up.  I have the right idea, didn’t I?”_

I’m not sure that warrants a response…so I just fold the shirt and tuck it away instead.

Rin’s voice suddenly goes from sour to excited, _“Oh, I stopped by Samezuka, too.”_

This conversation draws my attention back, as Rin can’t contain the level of pride in his voice for our former teammates. 

_“Seems like Ai and Momo made it into the regionals.”_

_“Oh good…those guys worked hard.”_

It’s hard not to feel proud of the pair.  I keep the charm Momo gave me at the hot springs on my desk; it’s been a point of reference for me ever since. 

Rin goes on to tell me about his coach and Mikhail’s relationship to Ai.  I can’t help but smile, because it’s nice to see him so happy.  Australia was the best place for Rin, after all. 

Yet, my expression soon changes to one of concern because Rin’s body begins to shift uncomfortably on the stool next to me.  

_“So anyways, Sousuke…”_

I watch my friend closely, knowing Rin as well as I do, I know that something is troubling his mind. 

_“I mean…”_

 Rin’s index finger nervously taps the counter top and his voice seems unsure,

_“Um, so…”_

I take in Rin’s expression, the way he seems frustrated by his lack of conviction to just tell me what is on his mind.  Then I just know.  I know him, why his face holds such a sullen expression, and I know what it is he wants to ask of me…

I turn and face him sincerely, _“You want to ask how my surgery went, right?”_

Rin turns to face me, and I can tell he’s already flustered at the way I seem to have easily picked the unheard thought from his brain.  My friend slowly turns away from me and embarrassedly states, _“Uh…y-yeah…”_

I move the stool, to turn my body toward him and to confidently state, _“A success…”_

Rin immediately faces me as I calmly reiterate, _“The surgery was a success.”_

NNN

My eyes widen at Sousuke’s words and as I turn, I can see the turquoise unwavering depths of his eyes.  It causes my mind to be filled with images from last year.   

When Sousuke allowed me to clutch his jacket and shed tears for him after his injury was revealed before the relay. 

The afternoon I met him at the pool before our final departure from Samezuka and told Sousuke that I would be waiting for him to come back.

I am overcome with emotion and I know what’s going to happen if I don’t do something to cover it up!  I grab my baseball cap and place it on my head pulling the visor down lower than it needs to be and try to keep my voice collected enough to say, _“Good. That’s what I wanted to hear.”_

NNN

I sigh, because honestly, Rin never changes.  I decide to lighten the mood with a jab, _“You crying?”_

_“Like hell I am!”_

Rin’s huffy response makes me laugh, even as he turns away from me to get his emotions in check.  I decide to give him the moment to reclaim his pride and look out the window to explain,

_“I feel like I’m finally standing at the starting line.”_

I give Rin some words of encouragement, _“Keep taking on the world until I get moving.”_

My childhood friend scrubs his eyes with the back of his hand and teases, _“Don’t’ get smart with me.  I don’t have time to wait around.  I’ve got to keep moving ahead, even beyond the horizon.”_

There’s the Rin I know…all poetry and big ideals…

_“Another poem?”_

I could never miss the blush on his face as he shoots me a smile, _“It’s fitting enough right now, isn’t it?”_

We didn’t need words as our knuckles bumped together.

NNN

Rin and Sousuke finally managed to order something before risking getting kicked out of the coffee shop for lingering without purchasing anything. 

Sousuke had observed in response to the poetry comment, “You know, Rin.  That reminds me of the time when Kasumi told you that I was going to swim across the ocean…”

The brunette watched as the crimson eyed teen unceremoniously choked on his tea.  The sputtering and quick make for a napkin as he dabbed his face was amazingly entertaining. 

Rin was red faced as he interjected, “Wh-What?!”

Sousuke was so casual, he picked up the white porcelain cup, took a sip and his lips curled upward before stating, “Because I’m your sunshine, you didn’t want me to die.”

Rin’s breath hitched, his fists clenching, his mouth twitching.  He remembered that year…

_Kisumi had sent Rin a letter.  It had started out with the well wishes, how lucky Rin was to be away from the cold, and then had continued into “I think Sousuke really misses you.  He’s grumpier than usual.”_

_Several lines later and, “Do you think Sousuke can swim across the ocean?  Because I don’t know, Rin…”_

_And an impressionable young Rin had taken the bait—hook, line and sinker._

Sousuke’s cool, collected face, and ocean green eyes seemed to tease the redhead.  How on earth did Sousuke still remember that?  Of course, he would!  Sousuke had the memory of a fucking elephant!

“Am I still your sunshine, _Rin_?”

Rin’s heart had sped up on its own accord.  Even as the teen gave a huff and shoved a piece of food into his mouth, to avoid the conversation, Rin couldn’t help the jittery feeling that had settled in his stomach.

Because Rin remembered penning those words onto paper years prior:

_Even if we don’t meet in person, when I close my eyes, you are always there in front of me! You’re always in my heart! You’re my sunshine! It’s in your heart too, right? The sunshine made up of our memories! Our friendship will never change no matter where we are! It’s our ETERNAL SHINING MEMORY that will shine forever! So please, don’t die! Don’t you dare die, Sousuke!_

And Sousuke remembered the way he merely blinked, his jaw hanging slightly slack as he thought out loud:

_Er, I’m not gonna die though… ah, come to think of it, Rin is the real romantic kind. But anyway, what’s with him all of the sudden?_

Sousuke felt a little smug.  He might never win at rock, paper, scissors; however, he was pretty good at besting Rin in other ways.  That letter, (which sat in a box at home), had been pure gold.

“Sousuke?”

Rin’s voice had drawn him from his thoughts as he replied, “Yeah?”

The sharp tooth boy, regarded him seriously, “I am going to go visit Makoto and Haru, but…” he looked downward momentarily and when his eyes lifted, Sousuke could make out a faint blush, “then we’re going to hang out tonight, okay?”

Sousuke’s eyes softened, “Okay, Rin.”

NNN

There, I did it!  A brief update!  Goodness that felt good after nearly two months of hiatus.  Leave a comment or kudos if you can.  It really inspires me to write more.  Thanks for your support!


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